A New USO Center in Somalia Supports Service Members Deployed Far from Home

By Brittany Laursen

In the heat of the afternoon in Somalia, USO staff member Ali Thompson found herself maneuvering a heavy couch into the USO’s newest Center.

It was a physically demanding task, but what stayed with her wasn’t the sweltering temperatures or the strain from moving the large piece of furniture into place – it was the reaction from service members when they first saw the couch.

“Hearing service members express genuine excitement over something as simple as a comfortable couch offered profound perspective,” Ali explained.

Having experienced deployment herself as a Marine veteran, Ali immediately understood why something so ordinary could mean so much.

“Drawing from my own deployment experience, I was reminded of how deeply people miss basic everyday comforts once they are gone,” she said.

After all, at this remote, undisclosed location in Somalia, having something as simple as a nice place to sit can be a rarity. But the arrival of that couch was more than just a piece of furniture. It was part of a larger effort to build a new USO Center and provide the people serving in Somalia with something they had been missing: a dedicated place to step away from their duties, decompress and spend time together.

A place where, on a high-pressure deployment, service members can briefly feel at home again.

The Challenges of Deployment

Deployments are difficult. They can require great risk, as service members undertake dangerous missions and carry out their duties on the front lines. Deployments also require the people who serve to spend long periods of time away from the comforts of home, where something as simple as cooking your own dinner, having alone time in your living room, or indulging in your favorite hobbies isn’t possible.

But most of all, deployments require service members to be apart from the people they love – spending months without their friends, their family and the support networks that keep them going.

All of these challenges can put a great deal of pressure on members of the military. That is why it is important to provide support directly to the front lines – so that service members not only stay mission-ready, but also know that the American people have not forgotten them.

Building a Home Away from Home

During previous expeditionary support visits to Somalia, USO staff had seen firsthand that service members only had a few recreational resources in this downrange location.

Far from home and serving in a challenging environment, their options to disconnect from their daily responsibilities were limited, which can take a toll on the well-being of deployed service members. When military leadership offered the USO a structure to build a Center, the USO team saw an opportunity to create a space focused on morale, connection and camaraderie.

“Service members in Somalia are serving far from home in a unique and challenging environment with little to no resources or outlets to disconnect from every day,” said Ericka Rodriguez, another USO team member in the region. “We wanted to make sure they had a place where they could feel connected, supported and appreciated.”

Establishing a new USO Center in such a remote environment required long hours and close collaboration between USO staff and military partners. As Ericka and other USO team members supported the efforts from the USO Center in Djibouti, Ali was on the ground, setting up the Center in-person. She worked closely with service members there, ensuring that the Center would reflect the service members who would actually use it every day.

For example, after learning that the base has an active gaming community, the USO prioritized equipping the Center with dedicated gaming tables that could serve as a gathering space.

Across more than 260 locations worldwide, USO Centers — like the one pictured here in Somalia — give service members a place to step away from the demands of deployment. | Photo credit USO Photo

USO Centers are designed to serve as a home away from home for service members at 260+ locations worldwide. Here, service members can find amenities such as comfortable seating, TVs, gaming systems, computers, libraries, snacks and other recreational activities.

But it is far more than the content of its four walls – most importantly, USO Centers serve as a gathering space where service members can take a break from the stressors of deployment.

This kind of space can be especially impactful in challenging locations such as Somalia.

“We put a lot of work into getting the USO ready. From putting together TV stands inside a tent to planning and hosting the grand opening, seeing everyone use the space and enjoy what we created makes all of that hard work worth it,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Elizabeth Thompson, who helped Ali build the USO Center. “Even having a small break from the everyday routine can help alleviate stress and make being away from home a little easier.”

Service Members Make the USO Center Their Own

When the doors to the USO Center in Somalia opened, three months after Ali had begun her work there, service members wasted no time in settling into the space.

They gathered around tables. They played games. They sat together and talked. And a few service members discovered the supplies for bingo and immediately started a tournament.

The space immediately became theirs.

“What stood out to me the most was seeing service members actually using and enjoying the space,” Ericka said. “Seeing people walk through the doors and make the Center their own is when you really understand the impact.”

That impact was also apparent to military leadership.

Col. George Zuniga from U.S. Africa Command has personally experienced the austere environment in Somalia and congratulated the team on opening the Center, noting its immediate impact on service members.

“I cannot overstate what an incredible, tangible difference this physical USO presence is going to make for the daily lives, morale, and overall care of our service members stationed there,” he said.

“Being away from home can be stressful, so the USO gives us somewhere to take our minds off work for a little while, hang out, play games and build a stronger sense of community,” said Sgt. Thompson. “It took a team effort to make this happen, and I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish. It feels really good knowing that we built something that has made a difference for the people here.”

When building the Center, the goal was for a service member to be able to walk inside and immediately recognize that the space was created for them – and the USO has done just that.

Ali hopes that the Center will continue providing service members with a place to decompress, strengthen their connections with one another and stay connected with loved ones back home. She sees the space as a tangible reminder that people thousands of miles away continue to appreciate and support them.

“This Center represents more than a physical space,” Ericka said. “It represents our commitment to showing up for our service members wherever their mission takes them and making sure they know they are remembered, valued, and supported.”

And in Somalia, sometimes that support can be felt in something as simple as having a comfortable couch waiting at the end of a long day.